Shadows and Spirits
by brutal-howell
Summary: Sequel to my first fic "Discovery of the Spirit." Jon and Kat are back, folks. and there's a wedding to plan....they hope
1. Default Chapter

Title: Shadows & Spirits  
  
Chapter 1/? Author: Brutal Howell E-Mail: brutal_howell@hotmail.com Rating: R Category: Drama/Romance/Angst/General Pairing: Archer/Katie (they're baaaaack) Summary: Starfleet makes things tougher for Jon and Katie - with a little help from the Vulcans. Trip "rallies the troops," with a little help from some unexpected sources. Spoiler: Shadows & Spirits is the sequel for my first fic "Discovery of the Spirit." So if you want the COMPLETE story, go read that first. Archive: Most likely anywhere, just ask me first. Feedback: To those that reviewed - and liked - Discovery of the Spirit, I hope you like this one even better. And feel free to tell me, even if you don't. Good, bad or indifferent, I want to hear what you have to say. Disclaimer: Jonathan Archer and his ship and crew are the property of Paramount pictures. Katie and her brothers are strictly mine. I make no money (sadly) on the use of ANY of them.  
  
Shadows & Spirits  
Chapter 1  
  
By  
  
Brutal Howell  
  
The verdict was in - and for the next four weeks, Jonathan Archer would again be living under a microscope. A Committee.they were sending a damned committee. Four members - two humans, two Vulcans - would determine their future. Archer could already feel the knot forming between his shoulder blades.  
  
"Damnit!" he threw the data padd across the room, smashing into the door. Kathleen was just finishing her shower. He shuddered when he thought how close he'd come to losing her. It had taken him the entire three weeks of her convalescence in sickbay to get up the nerve to ask her to move into his quarters. He smiled when he noticed Porthos curled up on the floor in front of the bathroom door.  
  
"You like having her here too, don't you, boy?" he chuckled when the little dog picked his head up and began wagging his tail. "I know what you mean." When he heard her begin to sing, he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. She had a magnificent voice, and a love of Irish ballads that rivaled any of her ancestors.  
  
"Jon?" she called out.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I forgot my towel. Can you pass me one?" Jon opened the door - towel in hand - and the sight before him was breathtaking. Kathleen was washing the shampoo out of her hair, and his eyes couldn't help but track the water's journey over her body. His mind wandered back to the first time they shared a shower. Archer had to shift his weight as he felt the blood begin to pool in his groin. "Jon?" He snapped out of his trance to find her looking at him from the other side of the shower door. He silently cursed the strategically placed stripe across his shower door. 'Must get Trip to remove that, later,' he thought. She held her hand out over the door. "Can I have a towel, please?" He hesitated - still entranced by what he considered the most beautiful woman in the universe. "Jon?!" She felt self- conscious under his gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She wrapped her arms around herself automatically. It had become a reflex with her.  
  
"Don't." Archer began, stepping forward. "Please, don't feel like you have to cover yourself up for me." She didn't have a clue as to how beautiful she truly was. He opened the shower door. "Kat, please." He gently steered her out of the shower. When he gathered her into his arms, she tried to pull away.  
  
"Jon, I'll get you wet."  
  
"I don't care. I'm going to hold you until you stop being so hard on yourself. You are the absolute vision of Venus herself." He hugged her tighter to his chest.  
  
"Have you been playing in my pain medication?" She asked. Only a man on large amounts of drugs could see 'visions of Venus.' "I am a vision of a 'patchwork quilt.' And the new one just adds to the picture." He shook his head. Archer wished there was some way to get her to see what he saw.  
  
"You own me, heart and soul," he tilted her chin up so she was looking in his eyes. "And when we're old and grey, sitting in our wheelchairs," he leaned in until his lips hovered barely an inch above hers, "I'll still be telling you how beautiful you are." He whispered.right before he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed deeper into the kiss. Things probably would have progressed to another shower - but Archer's door chimed. "I'll get it," he groaned.thinking unless the ship was about to explode, somebody was in trouble. He waited until she disappeared into the bathroom before he opened the door to reveal a very angry Daniel Kane. The larger man pushed a data padd into his hand and stormed into the quarters. Jon recognized the Gaelic swear words he was spouting - he was becoming fluent given his fiancé's level of frustration during her convalescence. "Danny, come in.by all means."  
  
"Vulcans.bloody Vulcans." Daniel griped. "And me and Joey have to protect them!" He clenched his fists and forced himself to take deep calming breaths. Archer held up the data padd.  
  
"Is that what this is? Orders?" he asked. Daniel nodded.  
  
"Yes.orders for four of us - me, and Joey get to baby-sit the Vulcans and Max and Mattie get the humans. The names of your committee are all there, Jon." He explained. The Vulcan names were irrelevant - was going to be like pulling teeth, anyways. The two humans, Admiral Jake Prentis . ok, not bad. Jake had been a friend of his dad's. And Captain Amelia Browne.shit. Archer's mind started racing. Shit, shit, shit.he didn't need this now. Daniel had noticed all of the color drained out of the Captain's face. "Jon, what is it?"  
  
"Amelia Browne.the Captain on this committee," he began, "We went to Starfleet Academy together. We dated," he flinched waiting for the protective big brother to appear again. He closed his eyes, expecting a punch on the jaw like Mattie gave him. When it didn't come, he opened one eye to see Daniel smiling at him.  
  
"Do you want me to assign Max to keep an eye on her? Make sure she doesn't cause you any trouble?" The big man asked. He chuckled when Archer let out the breath he was holding.  
  
"You're not going to hit me?"  
  
"That depends, do you love this Captain Browne?" Archer shook his head adamantly. He had ended the relationship with her about a month after it began. She had some hard feelings about it back then.but that was 22 years ago. Surely she had forgotten about it by now. "Then no, I'm not going to hit you. I told you, Jon, as long as you don't lie to me, I'll help you two deal with anything thrown in your way." When Kathleen came out of the bathroom, he smiled at his future brother in law. "I do, however, recommend that you tell her about it before they get here. She hates those kind of surprises."  
  
"Thanks, Danny." Archer liked that he had come to an understanding with Kathleen's brothers. And in return, they had made him feel like part of their family. It was a new feeling for him - he kind of liked it. "And please, ask Max - if he wouldn't mind. I'd appreciate it." Daniel smiled when he saw two arms hug the other man around his waist. His sister was happy, and he would do everything in his power to keep her so.  
  
"Hi, Danny. Are the miscreants staying out of trouble?" her brother nodded at her. "Good, Malcolm has been chomping at the bit to get even with Mattie. Security Officers tend to do that when you attack their Captains." When she stepped in front of him, Jon wrapped his arms around her. This is where she loved to be. In Jonathan Archer's arms, she felt safe. No matter what, his embrace - even his mere presence - was soothing for her.  
  
"Mattie is behaving. I think he's more afraid of you, than Lieutenant Reed." She felt Jon's soft laughter in her hair.  
  
"Smart man." He knew it was time to tell her about the committee AND Captain Browne. He glanced over her shoulder and caught the bigger man's eyes. Daniel nodded, 'go ahead, it's time.' "Kat?"  
  
"Hmmmmmm?" She wanted to stay just like this forever.  
  
"We got the decision back from the President." She got a bit nervous when he tightened his embrace. Effectively pinning her arms under his.  
  
"And?"  
  
"Given both our histories with the Vulcans, the President felt it was necessary to involve them." When she started to pull away, he held on tighter. Daniel was watching them carefully. This man his sister loved was turning out to be a surprise. After their confrontation in sickbay, Archer had made it clear that he wasn't going to back down from them. That, in itself, made him a better man than most. But watching them, here, now.Daniel could see the man loved and worshipped Kathleen. And that made him the best. When the orders came through, he had talked to the rest of his brothers. If the Vulcans overstepped their boundaries, they would put a stop to it. "He didn't sell us out, completely." Archer explained. "Before we get married, a committee will be joining us here on Enterprise. Two Vulcans, and two humans will follow both of us around. They will observe, ask us all kinds of questions, and talk to the crew. They'll want to know if a marriage will effect our duties to the ship."  
  
"How long will they be here?" she was trying hard to calm down. They had agreed to jump through the necessary hoops to be able to get married. She wouldn't let Jon down now.  
  
"Four weeks." She sighed and nodded. He kissed her hair when she slumped back into his chest. "There's something else, Kat." He felt her tense up in his arms, but she didn't try and pull away. "Danny just brought me the names of the four committee members. One of the humans, is Captain Amelia Browne. We dated for about a month when we were at Starfleet Academy." Daniel Kane was watching his sister carefully. She wasn't foolish enough to think that Jonathan Archer didn't have relationships before her.  
  
"Why are you telling me this, Jon?" she asked.  
  
"Because I wanted you to hear it from me. It was 22 years ago.it ended badly, so I can't be sure how Amelia is going to treat you." His heart sank when she gave him a sad smile. Daniel said a silent prayer that his sister would cut Archer some slack. This was going to be just as difficult for him.  
  
"Just trying to warn me ahead of time? When do they arrive?" she was being stupid.she knew that. Jonathan Archer was attractive and a kind and decent man. Of course he had girlfriends before her. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Jon loved her. So why did she feel jealous of Amelia Browne?  
  
"Three days." Archer had noticed the sudden change in her mood, as well.  
  
"Mas e do thoil e. Ta se tabhachtach nosanna na tire a choinneail I gcuimhne agus aird a thabhairt orthu! Ma ta deacrachtai agat I dtosach, na bi imnioch. De reir mar a dheanann tu botuin foghlaimeoidh tu!" Daniel's stern voice rang from the other side of the Captain's quarters. If his little sister couldn't see sense, than he would just have to help her. Jon, for his part, didn't have a clue at what the man just said. He guessed it was their native tongue.and from the way she had tensed up in his arms - it probably wasn't nice. Kathleen sighed, she knew what her brother was trying to do.  
  
"Is ea. Ta deifer orm. Cen t-achar a dtogfaidh se' e a bhaint amach. An feidir aicearra a ghabhail. Deanfaidh me mo dhicheall. Ta go maith." She replied, shaking her head. Daniel smiled suddenly.  
  
"Seo m'fhear ceile. An bhfuil tu saor. Chomh tapaidh agus is feidir leat, le do thoil," his tone was gentle. He stepped close and tenderly touched his sister's cheek while she was still in Archer's embrace. "You know I'm right." Issue solved, he reverted back to English.  
  
"What the hell was that about?" Jon's mind was still spinning. "Was that Gaelic?" Kathleen owed her fiancé' an apology. She turned to face him.  
  
"It was Gaelic. I'm sorry.Danny was just reminding me that I should count my blessings," She paused to search her mind for the proper words. "I'm so used to relegating myself to the shadows where you're concerned. I've done it for so long, I don't know how to handle this.any of it." She was watching his reaction carefully. While she could tell he seemed a little annoyed, he stayed quiet and let her continue. "The only thing I'm sure of, is that I love you, Jonathan Archer. I always have, and I always will."  
  
"If Trip hadn't broken his arm, and I hadn't figured out who you were - Kat, would you have ever told me, on your own?" It was a rhetorical question. "I suppose not. No more hiding," he held her face in his hands, "No more hiding.you hear me?" When she smiled, he took her hand and led her to the desk. He maneuvered her into the chair he had been sitting in. He was hoping to save this surprise, but his instincts told him to do it now. Archer took a knee in front of her. "When I was a boy, my parents used to take me camping. There was one tradition I loved in particular; every night, we would lay under the stars and just talk. It didn't matter what about.we were together - as a family. Those were some of the happiest moments of my life." He said, almost wistfully. "There was one conversation in particular, that I never forgot. I was about ten years old, and my father had brought up the subject of girls. He began to try to push me into the role of some kind of Casanova. He was playing everything a bit too over the top to be serious. Plus I knew the only woman he ever loved, was sitting right there with us. My mom got the strangest look on her face; and she looked me right in the eye and said, 'All of them will be meaningless until you become a man. She'll be there, when you're ready. You'll know her from the way her soul will sing to yours.' I was ten. I didn't understand what she meant by that.until I met you." Archer reached into his pocket and withdrew the ring. He kept it closed in his fist for a moment longer. "She knew.I don't know how, but she knew I'd find you." He slid the ring on her finger. "Wear this for me?" he continued when she made no motion to remove it. Kathleen knew it had belonged to Jon's mother. She had seen it enough times in its place of honor in Henry Archer's office. He used to talk to it, just as if Mary Archer's hand was still in it. "It belonged to six generations of Archer women." He stopped for a moment - thinking about how sexist that sounded, 'Archer women.' Kathleen leaned forward and kissed him.  
  
"I love it." She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. It was a magnificent ring. The main setting contained a one-carat diamond. But there was a new addition to the ring since she had seen it in Henry Archer's office all those years ago. Secured around the band, were fifteen tiny emeralds. When she realized what they signified, there was no stopping the floodgates. "This is new," she smiled at him through the tears.  
  
"I wanted to add something to it, something that would be strictly ours. The emeralds match your eyes, perfectly." He opened her left hand and kissed the palm. "I love you, Kathleen. Nothing.and I mean absolutely nothing is as important to me as you and this child. That's what's important. Everything else - we'll face that together. No more hiding in the shadows.OK?" Daniel smiled as his sister slid forward and hugged the man she loved. They would be all right.he would see to it. Jon gathered her in his arms and stood up. He took her seat and held her while she cried. Daniel made a motion to him that he would see himself out. Archer smiled down at his fiancé, and looked toward the door. 'Go on,' he was telling his future brother-in-law, 'we're ok.' Kathleen didn't even stir as her brother left their quarters.  
  
ENGINEERING  
  
Trip was furious. He couldn't believe that the President was including the damned Vulcans in this decision. Why the hell should it matter if they objected or not? This wasn't a Vulcan ship! Max and Joe sat quietly and listened to the stream of curses that flowed from Trip's mouth. Both men chucked when he finally seemed to run out of steam.  
  
"I'll be damned if they'll find anything wrong here." He went to the comm panel. "I want all engineers to report to the engine room in ten minutes." He ordered ship wide.  
  
"What are you up to, Charlie?" Max asked.  
  
"Knowin' the Vulcans, they would try and blame a food resequencer malfunction on Jon and Katie. I'm rallyin' the troops to make sure not one damned thing goes wrong while they're here." He explained. "They deserve to be happy. And there ain't a politician alive that is gonna stop me from helping 'em." He pledged. Joe got up and clapped his friend on the back - nearly knocking him right off his feet.  
  
"You're a good man, Trip." He laughed while Tucker rubbed his sore shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, well we want 'em both here. This is their home, and no dang Vulcan is gonna change that." He stood in front of the Warp Engine as engineers began to file in. He ordered everyone to gather around, and briefed them on his plan. Questions were asked and assignments were given. Max and Joe smiled to each other. This crew would check every nut and bolt on this ship to see that their sister got to be with the man she loved. They would do their part too, in making sure the perspective committee members behaved themselves. The meeting took less than ten minutes. "All right, y'all. I don't want anything going wrong while our pointy-eared friends are here. We're not gonna give 'em any reasons to keep Lt. Kane and the Cap'n apart." The Engineers concurred and set off to complete their various tasks.  
  
SHUTTLE BAY - TWO DAYS LATER  
  
Archer hadn't failed to notice that the crew had pulled everything together for the committee's stay. Quarters were assigned and prepared, Trip had seen to it that everything on board was running smoothly and Malcolm and T'Pol had taken care of most of the details of the committee's arrival. Neither Archer or Kathleen had to do much at all. Now that the day was here, his senior staff had joined them at the shuttle bay, all were dressed in full dress uniforms. Mostly for the Vulcan's benefit - they would consider anything less, rude. Kathleen's four brothers stood at attention as the shuttle was brought into the bay. Jon felt his fiancé tense up and grabbed her hand.  
  
"We can do this," he whispered to her. She squeezed his hand in response and released it when the shuttle door opened. Trip smiled as he noticed the Vulcans practically run from the shuttle. 'That Vulcan sense of smell,' he mused. They at least had the good graces to wait for their human counterparts. Admiral Prentis and Captain Browne were the next to emerge. Daniel Kane noticed his sister paying special attention to Captain Browne. The tall woman had a beautiful olive complexion and intense blue eyes. And she was looking at Kathleen like she wanted to dissect her. Prentis was the fist to approach.  
  
"Jon, it's been awhile." He said. Archer smiled. The use of his first name was the go ahead. They were on friendly terms here, and formality be damned.  
  
"That it has, Jake. Welcome to Enterprise, I'm glad you could join us." He reached out and shook the Admiral's hand. He was curious when Prentis' gaze fell to Kathleen.  
  
"Kat, I knew you'd do great things when you left my class. But I never thought you'd get this kid to settle down." He jerked a thumb at Archer. He reached out and pulled the women into a hug. Jon was stunned. He wasn't even aware that Kat knew the Admiral. "What did you have to do? Club him over the head?"  
  
"Not quite, Jake," she chuckled. "Welcome aboard." She gave him a strong, rib creaking, hug. Prentis held on to her when she went to take a step back.  
  
"You did well, I'm proud of you." They both knew he wasn't just talking about the engagement. She smiled up at her old friend.  
  
"Hey, hey, hey.get your own," Jon added teasingly, drawing Kathleen back into his arms. Max Kane had been standing by the back wall with his brothers. He hadn't taken his eye off his assignment since she stepped off the shuttle. Danny had warned him about Archer's history with Amelia Browne. He could tell from the way she was studying Kat and Jon, the woman was going to be trouble. 'And so it begins,' he thought to himself. Captain Browne's dirty look had not escaped Kathleen either. She knew she would have to play things by strict Starfleet regulations, and not give this woman an in to get between her and her love. Prentis stepped back to allow the sour woman to step forward.  
  
"Kat, may I introduce Captain Amelia Browne." In response, she stepped away from Jon to snap a salute to the higher-ranking woman.  
  
"Captain." Kat adjusted her stance to an at ease position, waiting for Capt. Browne to give her the order to relax. Jon narrowed his eyes at Amelia. So this was how she was going to play it. He's be damned if he allowed her to walk all over Kat on his ship.  
  
"Relax, Lieutenant. We're all friends here. Right, Amelia?" Purposely putting the woman on the spot was the best way to let her know this was not going to be tolerated. Amelia returned his glare.  
  
"Right, Jon." She put on her best airs. She extended her hand to the woman who had claimed what she always wanted. "Nice to meet you, Lieutenant." This wasn't over, not by a long shot. If Jon thought she was going to give this sham of an engagement her blessing, he was sadly mistaken. The two Vulcans stepped forward and Admiral Prentis made the introductions.  
  
"Jon, Kat, this is Ambassador Kuval. And this is T'Rel. They are the other half of the committee." The Ambassador barely looked at the two humans he was there to judge. His gaze was firmly planted on Enterprise's first officer.  
  
"Do you condone their relationship?" he asked T'Pol in their language. Kathleen caught the Vulcan's eye; she didn't want their visitors to know she spoke their language, yet. She also knew T'Pol wouldn't lie, not even for Jon.  
  
"No, I don't agree with their relationship." She responded in Vulcan. "But as long as it does not interfere with their duties to Enterprise, there is little I can do about it." The other Vulcan stepped forward to add his two cents in to the conversation.  
  
"You would allow this human - who murdered four of our people - this much power? Being the wife of the Captain of Starfleet's Flagship would give her the power she needs to kill us." T'Pol arched an eyebrow in the younger Vulcan's direction. She knew of Kathleen's part in the death of the 4 of her people. If she didn't know any better, she'd swear the younger man sounded angry. Jon knew something was wrong when he felt Kat's grip tighten on his hand. Both he, Trip and Admiral Prentis noticed the tension in her jaw.  
  
"Kat?" He whispered. She just shook her head. 'Not now' she mouthed, tightly.  
  
"First, T'Rel, The Vulcan Council declared the four Vulcans that were killed traitors. The Lieutenant was a mere teenager at the time, and was defending a downed comrade." She continued in Vulcan. She didn't want the Admiral to know the topic of their conversation. She was aware that Lt. Kane would tell the Captain later. "She was severely injured, and nearly lost her life."  
  
"You sound as if you admire the woman." The Ambassador noted. He was curious about the Kane woman. He didn't like that she killed four of his people. But the Sub-Commander was correct, they were traitors, and the girl had been outnumbered.  
  
"She is a first rate Engineer. She does more than sufficient work. I admire her bravery for one so young. ONE of our kind is significantly stronger than any human. She willingly confronted four, to protect someone she cared about. Not many humans would embrace those odds." Kat's head was spinning. She had to fight herself to not show her shock. What T'Pol had just said about her was high praise from a Vulcan. The Ambassador seemed intrigued himself.  
  
"Agreed," the Ambassador concurred. This human female was indeed intriguing. He turned back to the Captain and his fiancé. "Captain" was all he extended to Jon as a greeting. But his gaze firmly held on Kathleen. "Lieutenant, I look forward to our first conversation." He smiled at her surprise. "I am versed in your file, and your adequate performance of late. The Sub-Commander believes your work on Enterprise to be sufficient." T'Rel was furious, but being Vulcan, he gave no outward appearance of his anger.  
  
"Yes, well we'll just have to see about that." He added. Daniel Kane sighed. T'Rel was his assignment. And he had just witnessed the spite coming from the younger Vulcan. He and Max had their work cut out for them. The Ambassador turned back to the Sub-Commander.  
  
"Sub-Commander, show us to our quarters?" he asked. "Captain, Lieutenant, I cannot speak for the others. But I shall be prepared to begin our interviews tomorrow." Kathleen was beginning to respect Ambassador Kuval. Despite her history with his race, he was willing to be open-minded. T'Rel was going to be the problem. His open hostility - as hostile as one can be as a Vulcan - was going to be a problem. The thought crossed her mind that he had an alternative agenda in all this. When her eyes met Danny's, she could see he suspected the same. Jon called over to Kat's brothers.  
  
"Ambassador, this is Joseph. He'll be responsible for your safety while you are on board Enterprise. T'Rel, Daniel will accompany you. Amelia, Max is assigned to you." Max shivered slightly when he noticed Captain Browne looking him over with obvious lust in her eyes. The woman reminded him of a Black-Widow Spider from Earth. A user that eliminates things when she's done with them. "Jake, you get Mattie." The senior staff chuckled when Jake's eyes followed Mattie up until he got to his face.  
  
"He certainly is a big fellow." He added in good nature. "How tall are you, Marine?"  
  
"Six Feet, Eight Inches, Admiral." Jon didn't mention what kind of power he could put behind a punch.  
  
"These gentlemen can show you to your quarters. T'Pol, why don't you go with Joe and the Ambassador?" he suggested. The Vulcans and Captain Browne allowed themselves to be led off. Trip accompanied Jon and Kat as they walked Admiral Prentis to his quarters. The Admiral glanced over at him as they walked through the hall.  
  
"So, Commander, what do you make of this impending marriage?" he asked the engineer, in all honesty. Tucker looked carefully at Archer, and then to Kat, before answering.  
  
"I think they are two of the finest people I've ever known. And as long as them luvin' each other don't interfere with Enterprise's mission, I think everyone should just but out and let 'em be. Not that they weren't good people before - but the Cap'n bein with Katie, makes him a better man. I would think the better a Cap'n we got, the better it looks for Starfleet." Prentis held his hands out in front of himself.  
  
"Easy, Commander. I just wanted to know where you stood, son. I happen to agree with you." He explained. Matt immediately liked the Admiral. "Besides, I've never seen Jon look so happy - and I've known him since he was a baby." Kathleen slowed her steps so that she was standing directly in front of her brother. She delivered an elbow to his abdomen - with just enough force to get his attention.  
  
"And you, you big gorilla. You listen to the Admiral. You follow any order he says as if it came from me or Danny." She told him. Matt knew he was already skating on thin ice with her for punching the Captain.  
  
"All right, Kat!" He protested, defensively. He was embarrassed about being chastised in front of the man he was supposed to be protecting. Jon and Trip just laughed. Kat took pity on the confused look on the Admiral's face.  
  
"Jake Prentis, meet my brother, Matthew Kane." She introduced them.  
  
"Brother?"  
  
"Brother," she repeated.  
  
"All four of the Marines on security are Kat's brothers," Jon explained. "I believe there are two more back on Earth. And before you ask, they're not all as big as Mattie. But they will make you think twice about taking them on." The big Irishman grimaced as Archer rubbed his jaw. Prentis glanced at Matt, then thought to the other three sizable Marines that were in the shuttle bay.  
  
"This doesn't worry you, Jon?" Archer shook his head as he smiled at his future brother-in-law.  
  
"No, the boys and I have come to an understanding," he explained. Everyone turned to Trip when they heard him chuckle.  
  
"Not to mention that they fear her," he jerked a thumb at Kat, "more than they do you."  
  
"They should," she glared at her brother. "I mean it Mattie, the Admiral gives me one bad report, you'll be spending the rest of this trip in the infirmary. I still owe you a butt kicking." She practically growled. The big man nodded, that he understood. "Good, now that that's settled. Jon, I believe we're going to have a problem with T'Rel."  
  
"How so?" The Admiral asked. He had learned, years ago, that Kathleen Kane's instincts were not to be ignored.  
  
"He's angry. He suggested to the Sub-Commander that I was a murderer. And my being married to the Captain of Starfleet's flagship gives me the power to kill more Vulcans." She explained. Archer visibly blanched.  
  
"Oh boy."  
  
"Neither the Ambassador, or T'Rel are aware that I speak their language. And I'd like to keep it that way. It might give me the edge I need to anticipate their concerns." Kathleen told them. "I don't think Captain Browne was exactly thrilled by my presence, either." She teased her fiancé'. Jon had the good graces to be embarrassed.  
  
"I am sorry about that. I'll talk to her." He offered. She just shook her head  
  
"Don't bother. She doesn't like me, and nothing you say is going to change that. You'd just be wasting your breath." Trip knew them both well enough to recognize when Katie was protecting him. He had a suspicion that if Jon talked to Captain Browne, the woman would just take it out on Katie later. "There were a few things that surprised me, though."  
  
"Oh?" Jake Prentis asked.  
  
"First, Sub-Commander T'Pol's defense of me. She made it clear that while she didn't approve of our relationship, as long as it didn't interfere with our duties to Enterprise, she had no right to object. She specifically mentioned San Francisco, and complemented me in front of The Ambassador and T'Rel. Twice." She shook her head, as if to clear the cobwebs. The men all looked at her in shock.  
  
"An actual compliment?" Trip was beside himself. Kathleen nodded.  
  
"Not only that, but clearly, she has no intention of revealing my knowledge of her culture. That's the other thing. The Ambassador is being far more open minded than Vulcan Society usually permits. I think I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop with him." Trip and Prentis exchanged a look. Their friends were in for a hell of a month. Kathleen shook her head. "Ah, I'm probably just being paranoid. I'll feel better after I get my workout in." She hugged the Admiral again. "Jake, I'm glad you're here. At least we know we can count on one friend on the Committee." None of them could help the nagging feeling. She just wasn't the type to be paranoid, not without cause.  
  
"I think I'll join you for that workout," Archer suggested. He didn't want to leave her alone. He couldn't take the chance that Amelia, or T'Rel would catch her alone. "Besides, Malcolm has been after me to brush up on my hand to hand." He smiled sheepishly. Archer had been hoping to have a chance to spar with her. He wasn't a fool; he knew he couldn't beat her. But he had been training on the side with Malcolm during her convalescence. He couldn't wait to surprise her. "Jake, we still on for dinner, tomorrow?" The Admiral nodded. "Good. Trip, see you in the morning."  
  
"See y'all later. Don't do nothin' I wouldn't do," he teased.  
  
"That doesn't leave much," Kathleen replied before she and Jon disappeared onto the lift. He and Admiral Prentis laughed when they caught her wink before the doors closed.  
  
"She knows you well, Trip." Mattie told him.  
  
"That she does."  
  
GYM  
  
Malcolm cut his workout short when he saw the Captain and Lt. Kane enter. He was a bit anxious to see how his student would fare against the Lieutenant. Kathleen Kane was probably the best Instructor Malcolm had in the last twenty years. He wanted to know how she would build on the progress he had made in the Captain's fighting style. They immediately headed for the open mats that were used for sparring.  
  
"Face each other. Bow," she then gave the order to begin. Malcolm watched them circle each other a few times. He knew from experience that Kathleen was going to hold back and allow the Captain to control the match for at least the first five minutes. She would evaluate his style, develop a defense and then rip him apart. The match would be over within eight minutes. As he watched the Captain get knocked on his ass, he looked over at the chronometer - scratch that, seven minutes. She held out a hand and helped him to his feet. "Malcolm Reed, I would sincerely appreciate it if you'd stop teaching my fiancé your bad sparring habits." She teased the armory officer. The lovers couldn't help their laugh when Reed flushed and looked away.  
  
"Hey! I've improved." Jon gave a half-hearted protest. She stepped forward and kissed him, gently.  
  
"That you have, my love. But we have to find a style that suits you. Physically, you are more muscular than he is," She winked at him comically to let him know just how much she appreciated him physically. "But Malcolm is faster. You should be concentrating on Aikido. It's a defensive style, predominately. But its basis is using your opponent's momentum against them. Oh Malcolm, come stand in for my punching bag - I mean help me demonstrate." She smirked at the sudden concern that crossed his features.  
  
"Ha bloody ha," he grumbled as he stepped forward with the gait of a condemned man. "Face each other. Bow." He gave the order to begin and suddenly charged Lt. Kane in an attempt to throw her off balance. She easily countered his move and turned him into a hip toss. The air was knocked from his lungs when his back hit the mat. As they went through several attacks and counters, Kathleen was explaining the technical aspects of the moves to Jon. After being beaten and tossed about for thirty minutes, she gave Malcolm a break.  
  
"Now I want you to spar off against Jon," she told the armory officer. "I need to see what he's picked up.and where you need the most work." Reed liked his odds against the Captain, a lot better than he did against Lt. Kane. Both men went to the center of the mat. "Face each other. Bow." When she gave the order to being, Reed held off. He had learned his lesson about sudden attacks - at least with Kathleen even in the room. She was, however, depending on him to start this off. If they were going to help the Captain with his defensive styles, he had to be given something to defend against. As they began, Malcolm realized that Kathleen had been correct. Aikido suited Jonathan Archer well. And he had obviously picked up on her direction well. He tried to roll out of the Captain's grip, but Archer pivoted his foot and turned it into a hip toss - just as his fiancé had instructed.  
  
Daniel Kane did not like the man he was assigned to. It was clear that this Vulcan blamed his sister for anything that happened to his race. And now he wanted to come and antagonize her. The big Irishman followed his assignment into the gym and they stood quietly and watched Jon sparring with Malcolm Reed. His sister's influence on the Captain's fighting style was evident to Danny.  
  
"All right," Kathleen told her students, "Get a drink of water." She scooped up her bottle of water and towel and passed them to Jon. "So how do you like your new style?" she asked him.  
  
"I like it. You were right, it suits me a lot more." Jon replied. He toweled off his sweaty head, so he didn't notice the mischievous glint in Kathleen's eyes. Before he could remove the towel, she grabbed both ends and twisted it so that he had no other choice but to follow her pull to the floor. She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before he could protest her 'man-handling.' Not that he was complaining. They both looked up when they heard someone clearing their throat. Jon scrambled to his feet when he saw T'Rel standing there with Daniel. His presence immediately put Kat and Archer on their guards.  
  
"Captain, Lieutenant," he greeted them. "Very impressive, Captain" He didn't really believe that, but he had the feeling that the best way to the Lieutenant was through him. "Would you care for another opponent?" T'Rel held his hand out to his side, waiting for Archer's decision. Kathleen cast a glance at her brother. She didn't like this, it reeked of a set-up. She was just trying to figure out who the trap was for. Jon looked to her, knowing her reservations about the Vulcan. "Just to make things fair, I'll fight both you and Lt. Reed." He was purposely leaving Kathleen off of his challenge. Jon steered her over to a corner away from the Vulcan.  
  
"Excuse us, for just a moment." He told their guest. As soon as he was far enough away, he addressed his fiancé. "I would rather you not fight him. If your suspicions about T'Rel are true, he's just looking for a reason to get even with you. Don't offer him the opportunity. No matter how this sparring match goes." Kathleen wasn't buying it. But if Jon was determined to do this, she was setting the ground rules of the match. She walked over to T'Rel without even acknowledging what Jon said.  
  
"I want some conditions set. Vulcans are stronger than humans. If the Captain taps the mat, I want an immediate release. If he walks away, the match is over. That is the only way Lt. Reed and myself will allow this match to proceed." She glared at the Vulcan. He arched his eyebrow in surprise.  
  
"You dictate what the Captain can and cannot do, Lieutenant?"  
  
"The Captain is the most important person on board. His safety is my main concern. You will not find a single member of this crew - Sub Commander T'Pol included - that would condone a sparring match with someone trying to break his neck," she was letting the Vulcan know that she was on to his game. And it would not be tolerated. "So accept the conditions, or find yourself another partner."  
  
"Very well, I accept your conditions." He stepped off the mat to prepare. Kathleen corralled Malcolm and Jon on the other side.  
  
"I don't like this, Jon." She turned her glare on Reed. "You watch his back. I trust that Vulcan about as far as I can throw Enterprise." She looked over to see what Danny thought about all this. He was just as suspicious of T'Rel as she was.  
  
"Try to keep that beautiful Irish temper of yours in check, all right?" Jon wrapped her in an embrace, and she immediately felt herself calming.  
  
"Oh, yes. A Vulcan beating the man I love into submission is going to do wonders for my temper." She snorted.  
  
"Just try, for me?" he hugged her a bit tighter.  
  
"For you, yes. I will try. But I can't promise anything if he goes too far." She wanted to leave herself an out to intervene if it became necessary. He agreed and followed Malcolm out to the center of the mat. Kathleen followed T'Rel to the center, her presence as referee letting him know that while she might not be aware of his plan, she would intervene at a moments notice if she didn't like it. She cast a last glance at Jon, shaking her head. Her instincts were screaming at her that this was a really bad idea. "Face your opponent. Bow," she ordered the three men. She dropped her hand in mid air, signifying the beginning of the match. Watching Jon and Malcolm circle the calm Vulcan, she just couldn't let herself relax. She felt mildly better that the Chief of Security seemed more focused that she had ever known him to be. She watched in horror as Jon tried to go low, and the vulcan snapped his head back with a kick to his head. She growled and took two steps forward, fists clenched.  
  
"No! Stay there! That's an order Lieutenant!" Jon told her. She growled in frustration but stood her ground. Archer got up off the mat and focused his attention back on T'Rel. "Nice one," he said, trying to be diplomatic about the man nearly taking his head off.  
  
"Thank you, Captain," he said with a ring of false modesty. Kat turned when she heard her brother's soft voice in Gaelic. He was telling her to calm down. She took three deep breaths as she watched Malcolm and Jon circle the Vulcan again. Failing to elicit the desired response from Kathleen, T'Rel set his sights on Archer again. Danny said something into his wrist, but knew his sister was too focused on her fiance' to notice. Jon's eyes widened in surprise when the vulcan took the offensive. Malcolm moved from the side to intercept him. The Brit managed to fend off T'Rel's blows for several minutes, knowing the man was just toying with him. Getting tired of the game, he delivered a crushing blow to Malcolm's sternum.  
  
"Malcolm," Jon called to him, hearing his friend gasping for air. He took a defensive stance when T'Rel stepped between them, trying to block Archer from helping his friend. He was glad Kat was such an excellent teacher, because he knew he was about to get a crash course in how fast he picked up Aikido. The Vulcan delivered blows to his face and body faster than he could block them. Before he realized it, he found himself face down on the mat. T'Rel jumped on the captain's back, applying pressure to his neck. Jon cried out when he felt the tendons in his neck nearly snap under the vulcan's strength. He felt things getting darker as he began to lose consciousness.  
  
"No!" Kat could take no more. She allowed the anger at this arrogant bastard consume her, not noticing when the gym door opened, admitting the Vulcan Ambassador and her brother Joe. Swinging her leg around, she delivered a spinning heel kick to T'Rel's nose, not satisfied when she heard the crunch and he went flying off of her love. She jumped on him, fury giving her punches more fuel. She delivered a barrage of strikes to the vulcan's body, driving him further back. She growled when a particularly devastating right connected to the side of his face, and she felt the bones give way under the force of her punch. Joe went to intervene, but both the Vulcan ambassador and Danny put a hand on his arm to restrain him. T'Rel crumpled to the floor and she jumped on top of him and continued to pummel him. It didn't escape Danny's attention that the arrogant vulcan seemed to be blocking less and less. If they didn't stop her, she was going to ground the idiot into hamburger with her bare hands. Everyone was so caught up in the beating, they didn't notice Jon sit up on the mat, trying to draw air in through his bruised trachea.  
  
"Kat," he rasped, and as if someone flicked a switch, she stopped, turning her terrified glance toward Jon. Without hesitating, she got off of T'Rel, and ran to him. Falling to her knees, she enveloped him in a tight hug. "I'm okay," he tried to say, but his throat scratched and his last word was cut off by a fit of coughs. The Ambassador, disappointed by his associate's behaviour, stood over the man's groaning form.  
  
"Ambassador, did you see what she did?" He groaned, thinking he had the human woman dead to rights.  
  
"Yes, I saw my associate try and choke the life out of our host. And I saw a scared, angry woman beat the culprit into submission. If you expect me to fault the human for protecting her mate, I will not." He said plainly, inwardly cursing the young man's actions. "This will not happen again, or I will see you replaced. Or perhaps I will feed you to her fury." He added as an afterthought. This woman truly intrigued him. She would have torn T'Rel limb from limb if the Captain had not called her off. She protects her mate with a fierceness not typically lent to human beings. This is the second time he saw her take on a much stronger foe, and come out victorious. He was beginning to think Sub-Commander T'Pol was correct. There was something special about this human. "Now, get up and apologize to the Captain, as well as Lt. Kane." Grudgingly, T'rel did as he was told. He tried to stand, and felt the pain shoot up his leg. The woman had clearly broken the bone. He felt similar breaks all over and nearly cursed. Schooling his blood covered face into the normal Vulcan façade, he limped over to where Captain Archer and the woman were sitting.  
  
"I apologize for my actions, Captain. It will not happen again." He mumbled, feeling two of his teeth missing. Jon looked up but still didn't trust his voice to work without sending him into another coughing fit. He had to stifle a smile at the damage his love had done to the man. He gave the Vulcan a gracious nod.  
  
"Danny, can you take our guest to sickbay?" Kathleen asked, hoping her brother would just shove him out an airlock. She turned her attention back to Jon, rubbing his neck and throat softly. The Ambassador just watched them, as the human man led T'Rel out of the gym. Joe had joined the Ambassador's side and helped Malcolm off the floor.  
  
"Captain? Are you all right, sir?" he asked, kneeling next to his fallen officer.  
  
"Of course he's not all right, that bastard tried to kill him!" Kat knew she shouldn't snap at Malcolm, but she was scared. The Ambassador picked up on her emotions and this intrigued him farther. He had seen her so focused on dispatching T'Rel as a threat, and now she was allowing herself to get emotional.  
  
"Lieutenant, if you are concerned that your dealing with my associate will be held against you, it will not. I cannot, nor will I ever fault you for protecting your mate." He assured her.  
  
"If you will forgive me, Ambassador, but right now I don't give a damn about your committee. I just want to take my fiance back to our quarters, so he can rest." She said, getting to her feet. She extended her hand and her and Malcolm got Jon to his feet. He wobbled a bit, and she draped his arm over her shoulder, taking some of his weight on herself. She caught her brother's eye, and smiled. "Thank you for getting down here when you did Joe," she told her brother.  
  
"Anytime, little siestra. Nice moves, by the way," he told her with a loving smile. The pride in his eyes was clear as day. The Ambassador watched the exchange curiously. The room stayed silent, as Kathleen helped Jon back to their quarters.  
  
"You know her," the Ambassador noted, looking toward Joe. The large man nodded.  
  
"She's my sister, family. And I beg your pardon sir, but I'm proud of what she just did in here," Joe replied, puffing out his chest.  
  
"So you should be." The Ambassador replied. "So you should be." 


	2. Shadows and Spirits Chapter 2

Title: Shadows & Spirits  
  
Chapter: 2/? Author: Brutal_howell Email: brutal_howell@hotmail.com Rating: R Category: Drama/Romance/Angst/General Pairing: Archer/Katie Summary: Trip is livid and someone is making unauthorized transmissions off Enterprise. Someone doesn't like the Captain's lady. Spoilers: Second installment in my Jon/Katie Series. Continuation of the story started in "Discovery of the Spirit." Oh, and you might want to read Ch. 1 of Shadows and Spirits too. Archive: Ask, and I shall decide if you receive. Feedback: Please. Good or bad, I want to hear it. When I began my foray into my first fanfiction with Discovery of the Spirit, I never dreamed that people would come to like Kathleen Kane so much. It is the feedback I received that encouraged me to turn this into a series. Some of you pointed out that Jon and Katie's story deserves to be told. After some serious debating with myself, I've come to the conclusion that you are right. Disclaimer: Jon Archer and Crew belong to Paramount. I'm just borrowing them for awhile. Katie and her clan are all mine. I make no money off the use of any of them. This is strictly for the purpose of my pathetic attempt to entertain.  
  
SHADOWS AND SPIRITS  
Chapter 2  
  
By  
  
Brutal_howell  
  
ENGINEERING  
  
"Commander Tucker, calm down!" Malcolm pleaded with the engineer. He knew after the debacle in the gym, Trip would kill him if he wasn't notified of what happened. His friendship with both the Captain and Lt. Kane demanded it.  
  
"Don't tell me to calm down!" Trip shouted back at him. Malcolm hurried to close the door to the engineer's office when several crew members stopped dead in their tracks.  
  
"The Captain is bruised, but he's fine," he explained, trying to placate the other man.  
  
"How could you let this happen? You're supposed to protect him!" Trip hissed, trying to reign in his anger. Malcolm felt insulted.  
  
"I did the best I could," he admitted, hanging his head knowing it wasn't good enough. "But you know the Captain. Lt. Kane suspected foul play from the start, but he coaxed her down. You know as well as I do, once he sets his mind on something." he continued. That seemed to take the steam out of Trip's anger.  
  
"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "What would possess him to take on a vulcan like that?"  
  
"I don't know. Perhaps some foolhardy notion of payback for what happened to the Lieutenant as a teenager? I can't begin to fathom what was going through his mind." He gave Trip a wry smile. "Trip, you should have seen what Kat did to him," he pointed out with a great deal of pride. The other man laughed.  
  
"Yeah, well I told Jon she's hell on wheels when ya get her riled." He grinned, proud of his friends. Well, at least one of them. Jon had done a very stupid thing, for whatever reason. "I should go look in on him," and give him a piece of my mind, he thought to himself. He got to the door and felt Reed's hand on his arm.  
  
"Let the Lieutenant deal with him. I'm sure whatever she says to him will have so much more impact than anything we might say," Malcolm reasoned. Trip rolled the thought around in his head then smirked up at the head of security.  
  
"That boy is in trouble."  
  
CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS  
  
"Of all the stupid, pig-headed." Kat trailed off in a string of curses in her native tongue. She was banging things around in the bathroom. Archer just lay on the bed, flinching every time he heard something bang particularly hard. He leaned up on his elbows, glancing around for Porthos. Finding his dog sitting over by the wall near the bathroom, he decided that Porthos was siding with Kat on this. He knew he screwed up, and it had nearly gotten him killed. She stormed out of the bathroom carrying a bowl. He had the good sense to lay back down when she glared at him. Captain of Starfleet's flagship, and he could be cowed by one cross look from her. She set the bowl on the nightstand and partially wrung out the cloth. Folding the dripping material, she placed it on his throat. The chill of the water immediately began to soothe the injury to his body, but not the one on his heart. He knew he had hurt her, and that was something he couldn't bear. He could feel her hands around his throat, trying to make sure the cool compress touched all the injured spots. Hesitantly, he placed his hand over hers. She just glared at their hands before lifting her eyes to meet his. He cursed himself when he saw the tears threatening to come. He saw the anger he expected to find, but he also saw fear - for him. "I am so angry with you," she managed to ground out, miserably. He managed to give a slight nod. 'I'm sorry,' he mouthed to her. He spotted the tear that slid slowly down her cheek and reached up to wipe it away with his thumb. She grabbed his hand, pulling it down off her face. He looked away, ashamed. "Jon, look at me." When he didn't respond right away, she repeated herself. "Look at me," he cursed himself when he heard the hitch in her voice. "You are the biggest of fools, but you're my fool." She finally let all the emotions come. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" She rasped. She placed her head down in the middle of his chest, and allowed the sobs to consume her. He pulled her up on top of him, just holding her as she cried. After several minutes, he cradled her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Forgive me?" He managed to whisper the plea in her ear. She picked her head up to meet his gaze, her eyes were red and puffy from crying. He felt like an even bigger jerk if that were possible.  
  
"Why, Jon? Why would you take him on, knowing he was up to no good?" She really needed to know. Tenderly, he slid his fingers under the open button of her top and touched one of the scars at her collarbone. She felt her eyes well up at the sentiment. Even as incredibly stupid as it was, she thought it was sweet that he loved her enough to even try. Not that she'd ever tell him that.  
  
"For me," it wasn't a question, merely a statement of fact. "Jon, the vulcans that did this to me are dead. And even T'Rel being as big an ass as he is, blaming him for their actions makes us no better than his views about me." She chided him. "I can take care of myself," she stated plainly. He knew should could. And it would always be an enigma to him. Granted her extra years of martial arts helped, he didn't know how she could dispatch a vulcan so easily, while he and Malcolm both got their clocks cleaned.  
  
"How?" he whispered. As if looking right into his thoughts she picked up on his meaning.  
  
"How do I fight them?" It was something she had never confessed to anyone. While gathering her thoughts, she took the cloth off his neck and re-wet it. Placing the cool compress back on his skin, she took a deep breath and continued. "I never told anyone this..not even Henry or Trip." She placed her hand flat against his heart and he held it there, trying to offer his silent support. "When I first woke up in the hospital in San Francisco, I was terrified. Even though the boys and Henry visited often, I always seemed to feel alone. I kept looking over my shoulder, waiting for them to come for me." She reached up and slid her free hand along his jaw. "When I found out you and Henry took on Starfleet as well as The Vulcan Council, I still couldn't let my guard down. I got so tired of living my life in fear, so I learned." He began rubbing his thumb across the top of her hand. "I would sneak off to the Vulcan compound, and just watch them train. Between watching, I researched. I knew from experience that Vulcans were so much stronger than us, so I took all that martial arts experience my brothers taught me, and adapted it. From spying on the compound, I learned to anticipate their style. You know as well as I do, they're so regimented and strict, it would be unlikely for them to deviate from the styles I had seen. I studied all of their attacks, and developed blocks and counter attacks compensating for their superior strength. You might say I developed my own foil for our pointy-eared friends. It has served me well too. There were attacks, long after I got out of the hospital, but the work I had put in paid off. None of them ever got the best of me." His eyes widened in shock. She never reported any attacks afterwards. And if the Vulcans had reported anymore deaths, he would have known about it.  
  
"How many?" he continued to whisper.  
  
"How many attacks? Or how many have I killed?" She could see the question in his eyes. She sighed. "Not counting the four that came after your father, there were two dozen attacks between the time I left the hospital to when Enterprise was approved for this mission. None of them survived. There hasn't been an attempt since." He felt the tears well up in his own eyes. This woman, that had been through so much pain for his family, was forced to continue to fight for her life for so many years. "I would imagine being out here has helped. They can't get to me on a human ship with one Vulcan who seems to like us." Thinking the worst, anticipating more attacks against her in the future, he felt the fear wash over him. He hugged her to his chest tight. She felt the fear in his embrace. Pulling back slightly, she caught his gaze. "Now you know how I felt watching you take on T'Rel." she chided him, gently. "This, my love, is where we have to do what's best for Enterprise, regardless of our personal feelings. We knew there would be decisions like this to make. I know you want to protect me from this, but we can't alienate the Vulcans anymore than we already have. Most of their damned government would love nothing more than to take this ship from you. And a select few would like me dead. We can't give them a reason to succeed in either scenario. Enterprise needs you," She told him plainly, feeling herself calming a bit. Jon reached up and took her face in his hands.  
  
"And I need you," he whispered, fiercely.  
  
"I know. You just have to trust me. The safeguards I developed for myself have proven quite effective. And I'm always careful - especially now that there is something to live for." She slid off his body and settled next to him. Laying her head on his chest, she allowed herself to be comforted by the sound of his heartbeat. "You know that I'm right." She looked up at his face, resting her chin on her hand still on his chest. It hurt her to see the resigned sadness and worry in his eyes, but he gave her a slight nod. She laid her head back down, prepared to rest with him, and decided to get one last shot in. She was supposed to be angry with him after all. "Oh, and if you ever do something so stupid again, Captain. I'll put you in the infirmary myself. I'm sure the crew would prefer and injured Captain, then a dead one." He smiled warmly down at the head pillowed on his chest. He knew he should probably be annoyed that she just threatened him, but he wasn't. If they were going to do what was best for Enterprise, he couldn't distract her. She had no chance of defending herself, if she constantly had to pull his ass out of the fire. He ran his fingers through her soft hair, massaging the scalp underneath. As much as he didn't like it, he knew she was right. There were times, like this, where they would be allowed to be Jon and Katherine. But the priority had to be Enterprise. They both served such vital roles here, that his beloved ship had to be considered in the equations of their decisions. And quite frequently, what Enterprise needed, had to be more important that what they wanted. Hearing Kat's breathing level off in sleep, Jon finally allowed himself to follow.  
  
CREW QUARTERS  
  
He knew this was perfect. The crewman these quarters belonged to wouldn't be back for some time. Setting up the transmitter, he keyed in his access codes. Within seconds, he got a response.  
  
**You have arrived without incident??**  
  
"Yes, and met back up with both of them." He responded.  
  
**Good. You will be there four weeks. Before that time has elapsed, we want the woman dead.**  
  
"Why? Her presence doesn't influence your people in the slightest." The man asked.  
  
**That does not matter. It is what we wish. You made a bargain to deliver. Those are your orders.**  
  
"Understood." He replied, closing off the channel. Quickly, he stashed the transmitter and silently made his way out of the quarters.  
  
BRIDGE  
  
Hoshi's eyes widened at the fluctuations that crossed her panel. She took several minutes to check and recheck her findings.  
  
"Sub-Commander?" She called, getting the ranking officer's attention.  
  
"What is it, Ensign Sato?"  
  
"Um..Someone just made an unauthorized transmission off of Enterprise. From the looks of the data, I'd say it was a communication." She reported.  
  
"Have you compared it to any known frequencies in the database?" T'Pol asked her.  
  
"There's a problem with that, Sub-Commander. The frequency doesn't look familiar to me, but the message itself is encrypted. In order to be more certain, I'll have to decrypt it." Hoshi explained.  
  
"Very well, Ensign. That will be your priority until further notice."  
  
"Yes, ma'am." She replied, hunching over her console, immersing herself in her work.  
  
CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS - THAT NIGHT  
  
Jon groaned as Kathleen fell into a fit of giggles. Truth be told, despite his embarrassment, he was enjoying hearing her laugh.  
  
"All right, Jake. That's enough." Jon said softly. His voice was still a bit scratchy, but Kat's compresses and TLC, along with the medicine the doctor had given him had helped immensely. Admiral Prentis looked at him innocently, over his dinner plate. The Captain just rolled his eyes, and could hear his fiancé' still trying to stifle her laughter. "Must you?" he asked the older man.  
  
"Sorry buddy, but you were a real knuckle head all those years ago, and earlier today. For that, she gets to hear the really embarrassing stuff," Prentis told him. He grinned wide, knowing it would be some time before Kathleen managed to collect herself.  
  
"Pink.Daisies." She choked out between laughs. Jon had to give his old friend that. Even though he felt like his face would be red for the rest of this mission, it was a small price to pay to hear Kat laugh like that. He looked at her with a resigned look, but couldn't hide the mirth dancing in his eyes.  
  
"Are you finished?" Gradually, she began to compose herself, sitting back in her chair next to Jon.  
  
"Sorry," she replied, contrite. But he picked up on the snicker she couldn't tap down on.  
  
"Let's see, what else can I tell you about your man," Jake smiled evilly when Jon looked up in concern, and Kat's just screamed 'Tell me more!' She looked over at her love and decided that his dignity had taken enough of a beating for the night.  
  
"Thank you, Jake. But leave the man with some pride," she said, finally composing herself. Jon looked at her, surprised. One look in her eyes spoke of the depths of her love for him. He knew she was making the concession for his benefit, despite her thirst for more knowledge. In gratitude, he leaned over and kissed her.  
  
"Hey, not at the dinner table," Jake teased his friends. They both broke apart, blushing. He met Jon's gaze across the table, and smiled. "She really has hooked you. I can see it in your face." It wasn't a condemnation. In fact, he was happy for the man. He had watched the rocky road the boy, and then the man, had traveled. He was glad that Jonathan Archer finally found the light in his soul. "I'm glad to see you finally came to your senses," he said, watching Kat lean into Jon. "Your dad would have been proud."  
  
"I told him the same thing, but he won't believe me," She took a bite off of Jon's plate, pretending to be disinterested. He sat silent for a minute, seeming to be lost in his thoughts.  
  
"Do you really think so?" he asked, and it tugged at Kat's heart to hear how much like he sounded like a little boy, in that moment.  
  
"Jon, listen to me. The main thing your father wanted for the both of you was to get along. He knew many years ago what a gem this young lady was," Jake began, grinning when he noted Kathleen's blush. "He only wanted you to give her a chance. We both knew that once you did, this would inevitably be the result." He motioned to the both of them with his hand. "You've grown into a fine man, my boy. I think he would be tremendously proud. And he would be absolutely tickled that you found each other." Both he and Kat were elated when they saw Jon seem to sit a bit higher in his chair. "Though, God only knows why she decided to give you a chance," he teased.  
  
"That, my friend, will be a mystery to me for the rest of my life." Jon responded to Prentis, but he was looking at Kat. They both looked toward the door when it chimed.  
  
"Enter." Kat called out, and was surprised to see Danny come in. "Danny, sit down, please." Jon motioned for him to pull up an empty chair. He sat down and eyed his future brother in law, carefully. There were bruises circumventing the Captain's entire neck.  
  
"You do know that that was a damn fool thing to do, right?" He asked the captain, who in turn just nodded. "Good, now that that's settled, I just came to see how you are." He spared a glance toward his little sister. "And to give you the rundown on the damage you inflicted." He added. Grinning slyly.  
  
"And just how is young T'Rel?" Jake asked, wanting to hear this.  
  
"Sleeping, now. Dr. Phlox gave him a sedative, under the Ambassador's orders. Malcolm put two security officers on the door so I could look in on you two. Little siestra broke his left leg in one place, right arm in three places, knocked out two teeth, fractured three ribs, broke his nose, and shattered his cheekbone." He ticked off each injury on his fingers. Jake whistled in surprised admiration.  
  
"Yes, well, he did it to get a rise out of me," she grumbled defensively.  
  
"Katie girl, no one blames you for what you did. Your family was being threatened. But if I hadn't called Joe to hightail his butt down to the gym, it would have been your word against his. The Vulcans are looking for any reason to hold both of you over the flames. Try not to give it to them, okay?" He gave her a warm smile. Getting up from the table, she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind and hugged him. Her big brother came to the rescue today.  
  
"I'll try," she promised. Danny turned his amused glance to Jon.  
  
"And you.no more stupid stunts trying to defend her honor. In case you hadn't noticed, me and the boys took a lot of time to make sure she can look after herself." He chided the man. Jon knew from what she told him before, that the basis of Kathleen's martial arts skills were from her brother's teachings. But the fight for survival against a supposedly superior race, that was her own doing. Kat had told him that in love and confidence, and he would not betray that for anything in the universe.  
  
"I noticed," he gave her a loving smile. The three men looked up at her when she cursed, softly.  
  
"I have to go. My shift starts in fifteen minutes." She and Trip had redone both of their schedules so that at least half of her shifts overlapped with Jon's. And with them both restricting themselves to twelve-hour shifts - barring any emergencies, of course. Neither of his best engineers would burn themselves out. "I wouldn't want to give Captain Browne the impression that I'm shirking my duties," she commented, sarcastically. She stepped over to her fiancé and gave him a long, lingering kiss.  
  
"I'm sorry about her."  
  
"Luv, it's fine. You can't help it if you're irresistible," she teased. And laughed when he snorted in amusement. "I'll see you in the morning." She gave him one last kiss, and stooped to scratch Porthos behind the ears. "Now I'm counting on you to keep your daddy out of trouble till I get back," she told the small beagle. They all laughed when Porthos gave an affirmative bark. "Good boy." Kat made her way out of the quarters, leaving the men sitting there.  
  
"She's got you whipped, boy." Jon smiled at his dog.  
  
"He's not the only one my sister can get to jump through hoops," Danny chuckled.  
  
"Don't I know it," Jon admitted.  
  
ENGINEERING  
  
Kathleen had pretty much ignored the possibility that one of the committee members might choose tonight to make a surprise appearance. Whether they came or not, she had a job to do. Coordinating her crews in the best possible way, after five hours, they had managed to finish over half the repairs on Trip's list. The muscles in her back groaned a bit, as she and Ensign Marks lifted the panel back into place and secured it.  
  
"Don't sweat them, Lieutenant. We got ya covered," Ensign Marks told her as he used a rag from his kit to wipe his hands.  
  
"Excuse me?" she asked, coming out of her jumbled thoughts.  
  
"The Committee. Don't worry about them. Ain't no paper pushers gonna mess with you or the Captain if we got anything to say about it," He said, seriously. He continued before she could interrupt. "You and the Commander, you keep this ship runnin' better than the brass at Starfleet could have ever hoped for. I swear I learn a hundred new things a day workin' with you. And the Captain, I wouldn't trade him for all the officers in Frisco. Them tryin' to keep you apart, that ain't right." Kathleen was touched by the ferocity in the young man's voice. His determination to support them seemed to lift her spirits.  
  
"Thank you, Jeff," she replied, offering him one of her rare smiles. They picked up their kits and headed to the next assignment - a conduit shorting out behind the bridge.  
  
"You're welcome, Lieutenant. But, like I was sayin', they can ask us all the questions they want. We'll tell the truth. That no one they could send could do a better job for us, or Enterprise. And if they got a prayer of Enterprise succeedin' out here, they just got to let you be." She glanced at the young ensign, surprised that she had the loyalty of the crew like that. She knew without a doubt, that they would back Jon without hesitation, but she hadn't been so sure about herself. Now she knew. He laughed when she smiled at him again. "Might not want to do that too much, Lieutenant. It'll ruin your rep as a hard ass."  
  
It took them about five minutes to get to their location, and another three to disconnect the panel and move it aside. Kat crawled in first, with Marks right behind her. The ensign smiled, in spite of himself. He knew Lieutenant Kane worried about how the crew would react to the committee being here. From day one, she had pushed them hard. And while they grumbled about her, they knew she was the best. In turn, her pushing them had taught them so much. As an engineer, he himself had grown more than he thought possible. He would put any single engineer, under Trip and the Lieutenant's tuteledge, against the accumulated brain power of any other engineering crew in the universe. What they didn't know seperately, they sure as hell could figure out together. Marks cocked his head to the side when he heard a beep, followed by a short whistle. He knew this juncture well, and knew the sound didn't belong there. Scanning the area quickly, he noticed a small silver colored device that the Lieutenant had just crawled by. His eyes widened in shock as the device pulled away from the wall and angled in Kathleen's direction. Crawling as fast as he could to catch up, he gripped his kit tightly in his hand.  
  
"LIEUTENANT!" He yelled to her. The fear in his voice caused her to sit up on her haunches and turn quickly. The little device fired an energy blast, striking her in the shoulder. It was right where her head had been just seconds before. Marks watched in horror as she crumbled to the floor, and the device took aim again with that funny beep and whistle noise. With all his might, he swung his kit, smashing it into the device, knocking it off the wall of the ship. When it clattered to the floor, beeping again, he took his kit in both hands and smashed the device until it was in several pieces. He crawled quickly over to the unconscious form of his Lieutenant, cringing when he saw the scorching and blood on her right shoulder. He was about to call out to someone on the bridge when he heard the Sub- Commander's voice.  
  
"Ensign?"  
  
"Sub-Commander! Get some help, the Lieutenant's been attacked!" He called out, not wanting to leave his fallen boss.  
  
T'Pol wasn't sure she had heard the frightened ensign correctly, but decided she couldn't take a chance. She went over to a comm panel.  
  
"Bridge to Dr. Phlox," she called.  
  
**Yes, Sub-Commander?**  
  
"We require your assistance on the bridge. Ensign Marks claims that Lt. Kane has been attacked," she said, calmly.  
  
**Oh dear. I'm on my way.**  
  
SICKBAY - 1 HR LATER  
  
Dr. Phlox hadn't wanted to make the call to the Captain, but he knew he had to. He wasn't surprised when Captain Archer arrived at the bridge the same time he did. The poor man looked scared out of his wits. Phlox had to enlist Commander Tucker's help to keep him out of the way while they extracted the unconscious Lieutenant from the engineering passageway. Now, an hour later, Archer and Commander Tucker had an exhausted, frightened Ensign Marks cornered in sickbay, drilling him with the same questions the young man had answered an hour ago.  
  
"I told you, Commander. Lt. Kane was about 10 meters in front of me on the platform. I heard this noise that I knew didn't belong. It was like a beep and a whistle. Even though I was closer to it, the device was aiming for the Lieutenant. When I saw it angle away from the wall towards her, I called out, she turned, and it shot her. That's when I swung my kit and knocked it off the wall. Even then, I was right over it, and it still took aim at her. I just kept beatin' on it with my kit till I smashed it." Ensign Marks explained again.  
  
"All right, Jeff. We got the pieces. Why don't you go on to your quarters. Take the rest of the shift off," Trip told him, really upset himself. The ensign looked toward the Captain, who had barely taken his eyes off Lt. Kane. Just as he got to the door, he heard the Archer call him.  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Thank you, for what you did," Jon met the young man's gaze, and his gratitude was clear on his face.  
  
"Anytime, sir. You take care of her," he said gently, and made his quiet exit.  
  
"Trip?"  
  
"Yeah, Jon?" he walked close to his friend, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Get those pieces to T'Pol. I want to know what the hell that thing is, where it came from, and how in God's name it got on my ship!" He allowed a bit of fear to creep into his voice as he trailed off.  
  
"You got it, buddy," Trip replied. Just as he scooped the bag containing the pieces into his hand, they both heard a groan coming from the bio bed. Kat opened her eyes to see two of the most important people in her life, standing over her.  
  
"We gotta stop meetin' like this, darlin" Trip teased her, trying to lighten both hers and Jon's mood. "Every time ya end up in here, you scare ten years off my buddy." She looked over at Jon, worried. He looked awful, he was clearly angry, but she could also see that he was terrified for her. Dr. Phlox chose that moment to walk out of his office.  
  
"Tell me about it. As much as I enjoy the Doctor's company, I'd prefer it wasn't as a patient," she grumbled, still a bit groggy.  
  
"Well, Lieutenant, Captain. For the circumstances, I have good news. I'm releasing you to the Captain's care for the rest of the night. The energy blast passed right through the meat of your shoulder, and you are responding very well to the treatment." He added, cheerfully.  
  
"Doc, the shot didn't.." she trailed off motioning to her abdomen, almost scared to hear his answer.  
  
"Oh, no. The baby is fine, I assure you. Healthy and happy." He smiled seeing the three of them breathe a huge sigh of relief.  
  
"Katie, you got any idea.?" Trip asked cautiously.  
  
"Who wants me dead? That shot would have taken my head off if Marks hadn't called out," she said angrily. "That list is a long one, Trip. At the top, I'd probably put a certain Vulcan that recently came on board." When Jon growled, she put a hand in the middle of his chest, and rubbed.  
  
"Jon, don't. It was only a guess. Besides, didn't Danny say T'Rel was sedated under orders?" She pointed out. He seemed to calm down, but Dr. Phlox had to put his two cents in.  
  
"I merely gave him the sedative to take, it doesn't necessarily mean he did," Phlox said, not even realizing he would set the Captain off again. He took a step back when Kat and Trip both glared at him. "Sorry."  
  
"Jon, take me home, please. I'm feeling a bit tired," she swung her legs over the edge of the bio bed and wobbled a little when she stood up. Trip knew what she was doing and loved her even more for it. He'd personally seen her take a much worse beating than this, and it not even phase her. So to keep Jon from doing something stupid, she was playing the only card she had left. She was playing 'possum,' pretending to be weaker than she was. He glared at the Doc while Jon walked slowly with Kat to the door.  
  
"Trip, take care of that for me. I'll expect some news in the morning." Jon told him without turning around.  
  
"You'll get it. Just take your girl home." He watched his friends leave, one supporting the other one. When they were gone, Trip whirled on the doctor. "You gotta learn when to leave well enough alone, doc!" He pointed out.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean Jon don't think clearly where Katie and that baby are concerned. Try not to add fuel to the fire if you can help it. We're tryin' to keep him from doin' somethin' we'll all regret later. I understand you like explainin' things thoroughly - normally that wouldn't be a problem. But until we find out who's on board tryin' to take Katie's head off, you might want to start editing the things you say to the Cap'n." Trip explained.  
  
"Understood, Commander." With a satisfied nod, Trip went to find T'Pol. He wanted answers almost as much as Jon did. He also made a mental note to check on the whereabouts of the Vulcan Kat had whomped on earlier.  
  
BRIDGE  
  
Trip found T'Pol just where he expected to, on the bridge. What he didn't expect was her first question.  
  
"Is the Lieutenant all right?" She asked. Trip looked around the bridge, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that T'Pol genuinely seemed to care. He noticed that several of the bridge crew seemed to be leaning forward in their seats, anxiously awaiting his answer.  
  
"She'll be fine, thanks to Marks' quick reaction," he smiled to himself, when he heard at least three relieved sighs being released. "Cap'n sent me up here to put you to work though. This is the thing that attacked Lt. Kane. He wants to know what it is, how it got on board, and if possible - who it belongs to. And he wants to know ASAP. You better have somethin' for him come morning, or he's gonna be a might cranky," he cautioned.  
  
"I understand." She replied, taking the bag from him. "I shall get right to work." She set out the pieces on her console and began doing things that Trip didn't even want to try and understand. He saw Hoshi still bent over her station and frowned, looking at his watch.  
  
"Hoshi? Aren't you supposed to be off?" Trip asked her. She gave him a frazzled smile.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm kind of in the middle of a project. Can't really stop." She explained.  
  
"Oh, okay." He shrugged. "I'll see ya in the mornin' then."  
  
"Goodnight, Commander." She waited until Trip left before returning to her work. 


End file.
